Chapter 9 – Limping into Ladesh
It’s common knowledge that sailing between the Blades Edge and the spine of Dracos Island must be done at the right time of season. The whole crew knew the Captain was a gambler and that sailing through the grinder this late was risky. Like a young boy throwing sticks at a cub with the mother nearby. It was his ship though, we were just the crew, I was just a first year crewman.
It was early morning and there were dark and heavy storm clouds spanning the entrance to the passage. It looked to me like the maw of an enormous beast, poised and waiting to swallow us whole. The first leg of the trip would be without the aid of the ship’s motivator. She had been in her quarters resting in preparation for the heavier seas the Captain expected later. After a half a day of choppy seas and a tail wind to help, we made very good progress. Then the occasional sprinkle became a continuous downpour and the surface of the water became choppy.
Mattin came up near me saying “Don’t let the calm fool you. We’re passing into the leading edge of the storm. The ‘baby’s teeth’ as they say. Keep your wits about you. We’re about to hit rough seas the likes of which you’ve never seen.”
All I could say was “Aye” and keep to the work at hand.
For an hour we battled through. Serrale was not at her station. Mattin said “Aye, soon we hit the belly of calm. Later we begin our battle to run through the jaws of the grinder. The Captain is saving the ships pusher for the jaws.”
Next day, Serrale buckled into her station as we began our battle to run through the worst of the grinder.
In the next two days crewmen Cordus and then Teedo were washed over board, I nearly joined them twice, our sails either shredded or outright plucked cleanly from the masts. The last sail vanished along with the forward mast. It snapped about two arm lengths above Serrale’s head. We would have been fish bait if she had not been able to continue moving us ahead. On the morning of the fourth day we came out of the grinder without sails, pushing against a gentle but steady headwind. We lay out sea anchors and gave Serrale a days rest. We were not going anywhere soon. The Captain gave orders to salvage and repair what we could.
A day later, everyone exhausted, we were laying in mooring lines to the pier at Ladesh. Two crewman carried Serrale to her bunk after she collapsed. The Captain ordered everyone to their bunks for two hours while he arranged a hot feast for everyone when they awoke. No one resisted the command.
The wonderful aroma of savory meats and fresh breads woke me. Without direction from me, my body moved out of the bunk and up to midships. There I was greeted by one of several servants to usher me to my place at a noisy banquet table. Several others had already become intimate with their food and I could not wait. Captain Ulvan had gone ashore and gave orders to spend lavishly on his crew. My respect for the man grew enormously. But when I saw him serving and running here and there to get food or drink for his crew, I was astonished. I did not have words. A few moments later he came with a glass bottle of spring water and filled my empty glass. I spluttered the words “Thank you, m’Lord.”
His demeanor abruptly changed, “Nay call me Lord. At sea, a ship’s Captain trumps a Lord every time! Don’t you forget it.” He briefly locked eyes with me, then he smiled broadly as he went to fill Serrale’s glass next to me. I swallowed the idea of saying anything else and took a gulp of my water. I had not even paid heed to realize who was sitting near me yet. Serrale had the biggest smile and seemed to be really enjoying her food. It was smeared all around her mouth and she didn’t seem to care. Looking around, so it seemed to be for everyone at table. A crewman had come up with a lute and another a hand drum to give a tune for all to hear. Soon there were people dancing here and there. Several crewman had grappled a few of the servant women out onto the deck to dance. Then I relaxed and really began to enjoy myself. I even danced with several ladies and once with Serrale. What a feast, what a night, what relief!
Morning came with the taste of sticky dust in my mouth, the realization that the cargo had to be unloaded and that my feet were screaming in agony. Four days fighting the heaving seas to keep from losing my footing and a night of dancing on top of that. Ouch! But out of my bunk I came, still working to get my eyes open when I promptly crumpled to the deck. My legs were not ready to work either. With a little stretching and willpower they slowly came around. When I finally came out topside, the Captain called me over and said “With Cordus gone, I need someone to keep tally. Mattin says you can add numbers and write, true?”
“Aye Captain. Pappa kept harvest counts for the council of Frostport. He taught…”
Impatient, the Captain pressed a ledger and quill into my hands saying “Oye man, follow me and track what we buy and sell, as I tell you.”
The captain trusts me with this? Can he not read and write?
As if he heard my thought, he turned to me, came close and said “Just so you chase away any idea of cheating my crew and I, I can read and write. But I must keep my mind focused on the business of moving the cargo.”
Near midday, the shipwright came round to assess the damage and cost of repairs. He was a sour man, he refused to begin the assessment while the cargo was still aboard. Then I found out, his name is Algaad, he and the Captain are half-brothers. They argued for a long while. When Algaad finally left the ship, the Captain was talking pretty hotly about how he’d like to carve the man up for bait. Then he closed his eyes and paused for a moment. Eyes still closed, he said “Oye, such a pounding… alright, alright, so be it! I’ll do no harm to my own kin. He’s just being a good steward for his repairmen.”
The Captain went out on deck and called Mattin to him. “Mattin, take charge of the offload today. I’m going ashore to hire a warehouse. The second one from the right of the pier has plenty of room for our cargo and there’s no back entrance to let the goods walk away on their own. As she rises make sure you slack the mooring so she’s comfortable. Report to me in the warehouse when you’re done.” Mattin replied “Aye” and disappeared into the ship, bellowing orders to get things moving along.
From the warehouse the Captain would entertain bids from local merchants as the cargo came from the ship. The port authority at Ladesh, a fellow named Gark, later said to me “Yours is the only merchant that we have seen this season from north of Anchorjaw. By Imbrie, it is good that you made it through the grinder at all.” When I told this to the Captain he broadly smiled and made an odd clicking sound with is teeth.
In the warehouse, the cargo sold only a little slower that it entered the warehouse. The Captain seemed very happy with the prices he was getting. They would balance favorably against the price of repairs. Of course several items brought tremendous sums. There were two large blocks of quarried green stone, a ton of smoked blue fish, and two of the last three bottles of Arvalle white wine. The later sparked a bid war among the merchants that almost became a riot.
Everyone broke for a meal and then it was payday, and it was generous! Captain Ulvan brought the pay chest and two leather bags with the names, Cordus and Teedo, hammered into them. As each crewman was called and came forward to receive his pay, the sound of coin falling into the bags could be heard. I asked Mattin about this. He said “The dead have families too. It’s the Captain’s duty to send the news and any wages due them.” When it came my turn, I gently placed two Yeupar in each bag, keeping three Yeupar for myself. The Captain had already asked me to stay aboard tonight and that tomorrow I would have the whole day ashore.